Saying
‘I DO’ the Stress Free Way Taking
the pressure out in planning your wedding by
Wedding Planner, Vanessa N. Villanueva
A
wedding, as any event organizer would tell you, is one of
the most difficult “events” to prepare for. There
are tons of details to attend to, numerous suppliers to consider
and choose from and high levels of emotions and expectations
involved. And as weddings are dreams that happen once in a
lifetime, every couple, every bride wants theirs to be perfect.
However, such preparations should not translate to an overly
wrought, highly stressed out bride or groom seeing that their
dream wedding has fast become a planning nightmare. Here are
some tips on how to help you prepare for your wedding, the
STRESS FREE way:
Stay
Organized. Get yourself a wedding journal to help you
keep track of all the details and deadlines of your
wedding preparations. Keep a folder with all your arrangements
in writing. Compile it in such a way that it can easily
be understood by the person in charge during the big
day.
Trim
down and screen your list of suppliers. Be sure to get
a dependable and experienced supplier for each wedding
requirement. There is no substitute for experience and
expertise. Experience relates to the training and the
number of years of practice of a wedding professional.
If you want a smooth planning process, wedding and reception,
rely on the experts.
Did
You Know
The Traders Hotel is a popular choice among
couples searching for an ideal venue for
their wedding receptions or even the ceremony
itself. The Hotel caters to every requirement
of a hassle-free wedding. With 11 years
of experience, their highly competent events-professionals
have seen it all, making them one of the
best sources of creative ideas, and experts
at handling any challenge.
Remember
your time lines. Be conscious of every cut-off dates. Allocate
ample time for all your wedding requirements, such as processing
of wedding license and permits, church and venue reservations,
pre-nuptial photo shoots, fitting, food tasting, etc. You
can have plenty of stress free time if you know how to manage
it well.
Ease
up and delegate. Accept help from others. If you are not hiring
a professional wedding coordinator, make sure to assign people
different tasks. On your wedding day, have someone in charge
of paying vendors, manning the registration, moving the signature
frame around, distribution of souvenirs and thank you cards,
checking the caterer or any other small tasks. Read through
your list and delegate ahead of time.
Stick
to your budget. Issues involving money usually causes
the most stress during the wedding planning process.
Set a budget and stick to it. Avoid impulse decisions
such as blowing the wedding budget with last minute
decisions like going with a diamond-studded wedding
veil. Try to avoid any radical changes to your original
plans and appearance, especially if the wedding is less
than three months away.
Simplify!
Firm
up every detail. Clarify times and locations, last minute
guests confirmations, addition to head-counts for catering
reservations, ingress/egress of florists. It is best
to phone all your vendors and verify everything a week
prior to your wedding day. Have them read-back to you
the date, time, location, and exactly
what
they will be doing. Make sure they know the directions to
the site. Bring a list of phone numbers so someone can call
them in case they don’t show up on time.
Rehearse.
Decide on the order of events at the ceremony and the reception
in advance of the wedding day and be sure the wedding coordinator
or the masters of ceremonies also have the information ahead
of time. Make time to practice with the whole entourage. Practice
walking and turning with your gown on. Make sure it fits properly
before the ceremony. Find the easiest way to walk and turn
with the train, so you won’t have to worry about tripping
over it. Every vital member of the entourage must prepare
for and rehearse their wedding speeches.
Ensure
and double check. As the day approaches and anxiety level
rise, keep lines of communication open between your bride
or your groom, your family and friends and the wedding party
as a whole.
Enjoy
and celebrate. Remember that a wedding is a celebration in
every sense of the word. Though being the center
of
attention can be overwhelming and exhausting, don’t
forget to try and spend a little quality time with each of
your guests. Thank them personally for coming, share the love
and spread the joy!
